Barcelona will be the mobile world capital and host the Mobile World Congress until 2023

• The Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation celebrates GSMA’s decision to renew its commitment to the city
• The extension of the agreement demonstrates the quality of the proposal and the city’s position as an international mobile technology leader

July 14, 2015

The Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation (MWCB) is celebrating GSMA’s decision to renew Barcelona’s status as the mobile world capital and the site of the Mobile World Congress until 2023. The decision, which entails a five-year extension, from 2019 until 2023, was announced this morning after the GSMA’s Board meeting held in Shanghai.

The quality of the extension proposal submitted by Barcelona, the surging success of the Mobile World Congress, the activities bolstering the technological sector being carried out, and the institutional support for the project were all points particularly valued in the taking of the decision to extend the current contract, which was to expire in 2018.

The joint offer for the MWCB’s renewal was presented to the GSMA -the international association of mobile operators worldwide- by its Barcelona city partners: the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, the Regional Government of Catalonia, the City of Barcelona, Fira de Barcelona, Barcelona Tourism and Mobile World Capital Barcelona itself.

The President of the MWCB Board and Mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau underscored that “the renewal of Barcelona’s status as the Mobile World Capital and of the Mobile World Congress until 2023 is a shared success achieved thanks to everyone’s work and commitment. This is a new opportunity for the city’s mobile capital status to have an impact year-round, with positive effects on the city and all its citizens.”

Felip Puig, Vice-president of the MWCB Board and Minister of Business and Employment of the Regional Government of Catalonia said that “this is great news for Barcelona, for Catalonia, for the economy and for employment. We congratulate all the citizens of Catalonia, celebrate the institutional collaboration that has made it possible, and hope that this continues to portray us as a leading city and country in mobile technology innovation, research and development.”

The Vice-president of the MWCB Board and Secretary of State for Telecommunications and the Information Society, Víctor Calvo-Sotelo, underscored that “Barcelona’s status as Mobile World Capital constitutes an asset of enormous value for all of Spain, both in terms of its economic impact and the enhancement of the country’s image”. He also described the renewal as a “great success, the result of joint efforts and intense collaboration between all the institutions, citing support as well from the highest levels of the Government of Spain”.

The President of Fira de Barcelona, Josep-Lluís Bonet, stressed that this represents “great news for the city and for the whole country, as the impact of both the Mobile World Capital and the Congress is exceptional, from both the economic and social perspectives.” The decision demonstrates that “the capital is working in the right direction, the institutions and companies involved are working together, and everyone -especially Fira de Barcelona- is contributing to the event’s success.”

The Vice-president of the MWCB Foundation and CEO of Fira de Barcelona Agustí Cordón stated that “the commitment to Barcelona speaks to the great work done thus far by all those involved and acknowledges the activity carried out by the mobile world capital to promote digital transformation and improve citizens’ quality of life in a direct way. GSMA’s commitment is, without a doubt, a recognition and, at the same time, a great challenge allowing us to support new initiatives.”

Barcelona, an international landmark in mobile technology

Barcelona, boasting status as the mobile world capital since 2012, after prevailing over other European cities, will not only be able to continue to host the Congress beyond 2018, but also carry out all its initiatives designed to promote digital transformation and make the city a mobile technology leader.

At this time the MWCB’s activities centre on four strategic areas: entrepreneurship and innovation, education, health and smart city features. In the field of entrepreneurship, 4YFN has strengthened its position as a leading international event for mobile startups and entrepreneurs, participating in international forums in the innovation sector. In this sphere the Technological Acceleration and Transfer Programme is also worthy of note.

In the area of education, 25% of Catalonia’s students now participate in an mSchools programme initiative. After two years in classrooms, “App Education” has impacted more than 17,000 Catalonian students, with 32% of them redirecting their educational paths towards technological studies.

MWCB’s mHealth team promotes the incorporation of mobile solutions in the health sphere and collaborates on initiatives such as the implementation and development of the mHealth Cat Plan in Catalonia and the promotion of the Personal Health File.

Finally, Smart Living is the programme addressing citizens’ interaction with the city, focusing its activities on commerce and tourism, digital identity, Big Data and transport.

The Mobile World Congress, meanwhile, has seen dramatic growth since first being held in the city in 2006. At the latest edition, in March, the congress drew 94,000 professionals and had an impact on the local economy worth some 436 million euros, in addition to promoting the creation of 12,675 jobs, according to organisers.